Dow Today: E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company (DD) Leads The Day Higher, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) Lags

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) closed up 45 points (+0.3%) at 12,949. During the day, 859.8 million shares of the 30 Dow components have changed hands vs. an average daily trading volume of 818.6 million. The NYSE advances/declines ratio closed at 1,704 issues advancing vs. 1,271 declining with 125 unchanged.

The Dow component that led the way higher today was E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (NYSE:DD), which sported a 95-cent gain (+1.9%) bringing the stock to $51.48. This single gain lifted the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 7.19 points or roughly accounting for 16% of the Dow's overall gain. Volume for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company ended the day at 6.1 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 6.8 million shares.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company has a market cap of $45.65 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and chemicals industry. Shares are up 10.4% year to date as of Thursday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 3.3%.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company operates as a science and technology company worldwide. It operates in seven segments: Agriculture & Nutrition, Electronics & Communications, Performance Chemicals, Performance Coatings, Performance Materials, Safety & Protection, and Pharmaceuticals. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.4, equal to the average chemicals industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity and good cash flow from operations. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

• You can view the full E.I. du Pont de Nemours Ratings Report.

Holding the Dow back today was Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), which lagged the broader Dow index with a 30-cent decline (-1%) bringing the stock to $29.59. Volume for Hewlett-Packard ended the day at 18.5 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 17.8 million shares.

• See our dividend calendar or top-yielding stocks list.

Hewlett-Packard has a market cap of $56.58 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer hardware industry. Shares are up 16% year to date as of Thursday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 1.6%.

Hewlett-Packard Company and its subsidiaries provide products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as to the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. The company has a P/E ratio of 8.8, above the average computer hardware industry P/E ratio of 8.6 and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates Hewlett-Packard as a hold. Among the primary strengths of the company is its reasonable valuation levels, considering its current price compared to earnings, book value and other measures. At the same time, however, we also find weaknesses including deteriorating net income, poor profit margins and weak operating cash flow.

• You can view the full Hewlett-Packard Ratings Report.

For more information on E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company click any of the following:

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Stock Price

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Analyst Ratings

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Key Stats & Profile

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Earnings

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Ratio Comparison

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Growth Rates

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Balance Sheet

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Cash Flow

• E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Income Statement